Posts in the Romantic Suspense genre

I’ve read many novels over my lifetime and found one common trait among the ones that I liked. I can see the story in my mind. I don’t like to be bogged down with too many details. I like just enough detail so that I can see what the writer or what I want to see in the character or in the scene described. When I can see the book like it’s a movie. That’s also how I like to write. I want the reader to be able to see what they want as well as what I want them to. I give them just enough detail so they can make their own pictures. I’ve had several people tell me my books read like a movie. A lot of them wanted to direct that movie too or at least get an executive producer credit.

It has to be a good story too. It needs to move, have some suspense to it. I like it to be a page turner, make me want to read the next page. I also want to have romance. There needs to be a hero and a heroine who somehow manage to save each other. James Cameron’s “Titanic” had suspense and romance and both hero and heroine. As the old woman narrating the story said about Jack, “He saved me in every way a person can be saved.” There also needs to be a villain, one everyone can see and knows about. Then maybe one behind the scenes who is pushing all the buttons. No one knows of this villain until later in the book. If it has those characteristics, then I consider it a good read.

But when a ruthless killer targets a woman on the run, Theo and his new K9 companion will do whatever it takes to survive—and save the woman neither can live without.

Grieving the death of his partner, Theo Bosco has no room in his life for distractions. Though his instincts scream that he should avoid Juliet ‘Jules’ Jackson, he can’t seem to stay away. It doesn’t help that Theo’s new K9 companion has fallen head over paws with Jules’s rambunctious family.

Or that when he’s with her, Theo finally knows peace.

When Jules rescued her siblings, whisking them away to the safety of the beautifully rugged Colorado Rockies, she never expected to catch the eye—or the heart—of a cop. Yet as Jules struggles to fight her growing attraction to the brooding K9 officer, another threat lurks much closer to home…

And this time, there’s no escape.

Check out the exclusive excerpt below!

Jules stepped onto the porch, followed closely by Viggy. The dog—his dog, the one that ran off and forced him to visit Jules in the middle of the night—stretched out on one side of the entrance. Closing the front door behind them, Jules took a couple of steps to the front of the porch, closer to Theo. The wind whipped her hair around her face and plastered her sleep shorts to her body in a very enticing way. Theo tried not to look obviously eager as he joined her, but he was pretty sure he failed at that. He did take the six porch steps in two strides, after all.

Once he was standing next to her, Theo was at a loss. Even before he’d disappeared into a cloud of rage, talking to women had never been his strong point. Now, faced with Jules in all her sleep-mussed glory, Theo had nothing. His mind was a blank.

“I thought he was a serial killer,” Jules blurted.

He was so grateful to her for breaking the silence that it took a second for her words to make sense. Except, even then, they didn’t make sense. “Who?”

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GIVEAWAY DETAILS AT THE END.

There is nothing more dangerous than desire…

Emma McKinley is a bright young lawyer with a very dark secret: She’s the daughter of an assassin. Twenty years ago, her father shot and killed the president and Emma has been desperate to understand why ever since. She’s changed her name, moved around…but the past keeps hunting her down. First came an irresistible job offer, luring her back where the assassination occurred. And now Emma is receiving mysterious newspaper clippings about the shooting as a terrible reminder—and a deadly threat…

Sheriff Conner Kavanaugh has been burned before. But from the moment he meets Emma, there’s something about her he can’t resist. Something is haunting her—that much is clear. And as the threats against her mount, he’ll do anything to protect her and win her trust. If the past doesn’t catch up to them first.

A week had passed since Emma had last seen Conner. Well, that wasn’t exactly true: They’d passed one another at the courthouse a few times but he’d done little more than tip his hat in her direction.

Of course she couldn’t decipher a hat tip. Did that mean great kiss or that kiss was so bad I’ve decided to join the clergy? Still, she understood avoidance and Conner was definitely avoiding her. And she was returning the favor. Emma stayed late at the office every night, ensuring she’d miss Conner when he came to pick up Sam after her tutoring sessions.

She sighed heavily and went back to the pile of folders on her desk. Thanks to the long hours, she was completely caught up and was considering going out for a bite for dinner when she heard a noise.

Looking up, she saw Conner standing in her doorway. Hatless, he wore his uniform and a broad grin. “Evening,” he greeted her.

“Hi.” It suddenly seemed difficult for her to breathe normally, so the word came out sounding sultry and embarrassingly alluring.

Thanks to EverAfter for hosting me today as we celebrate the re-release of my romantic suspense Windsor Series! There are currently five books in the series with a sixth (and new one) coming out next month. Though each book is a standalone, they all revolve around the small town of Windsor, New York in the Hudson Valley. To kick off the launch of the books, I thought I’d share with you a scene from the first book, A Tainted Mind, in which Dr. Vivi DeMarco first meets Ian MacAllister, Deputy Chief of Police—stumbling across a long dead body hadn’t been part of her vacation plan and neither of them are particularly happy about the situation. If you like mysteries with a dash of romance, I hope you’ll visit Windsor, make some new friends, and see what kinds of secrets lurk in this small town.

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Striding toward her with water dripping from his long coat, Ian MacAllister looked like a small-town cop who’d already had a long night. He wasn’t particularly tall, somewhere just shy of six feet, but was built fit and solid. His hair was cut short and, even though it looked brown, Vivi could see streaks of a reddish gold in it. His jaw and general facial features were strong, both in structure and in bearing, and he was younger than she had expected, probably just a few years older than her own thirty-three. His heritage, at some point in time, was likely Scottish. Or, more precisely, she amended to herself as he stopped before her, Celtic.

“Ma’am?” he said, holding out his hand. “Ian MacAllister, Deputy Chief of Police.”

“Vivienne DeMarco,” she responded, standing up to shake his hand. Vivi motioned him toward an empty table in the back. When they reached it, he waited for her to sit then joined her as she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him.

Thank you, EverAfter Romance, for letting me chat about my 5 Favorite Romantic Suspense Novels. I cut my teeth on romantic suspense. My mom was a voracious reader and I used to sneak into her closet and read her romances. From her historical to her suspense, my love of romance developed in a walk-in closet when I was probably too young to be reading them, lol! But read them I did and of course I have favorites. Let me share, yeah?

5. All the Queen’s Men, Linda Howard

Linda Howard is one of my all-time favorite authors. She gives epic emotion, action and suspense and wraps it all up in a neat, tidy bow by the end. Her reads are fast-moving and HOT. John Medina, the hero of AtQM, more than meets the HOT criteria, and his heroine, is more than a match for him. It’s got all the things I love in a rom suspense and her writing is beautiful.4. Naked in Death, J D Robb

Oh, the things I could say about this book. JD Robb outdid herself when she penned this futuristic romantic suspense that revolves around a tough-as-nails cop and the man who takes her heart. This makes my list at #4 because Roarke is my all-time favorite hero. He’s got it all and I loved reading about him as much as I loved reading about Eve Dallas. Robb keeps you hanging on while weaving a believable, and accurately depicted, tale of murder, police procedure, and a romance that blooms in the middle of bloodshed.

That’s easy. It’s Trevor Maxwell, the snarky, occasionally inappropriate coyote shifter whose been showing up in the X-OPS Series here and there.

Trevor was originally only going to have a bit part in Her True Match, even though his book is coming up next in the series. But then he got involved in checking out a possible hybrid research facility in Maine, and from there, things got a little bit out of hand.

Much of this had to do with the fact that the Department of Covert Operation (DCO) needed to get one of their agents into a psychiatric facility to see if there were some evil people up there trying to cook up a new batch of hybrids. The critical issue at hand here is that the DCO thought the best way to get someone deep inside the facility was if that person needed to be committed. When it came to finding someone who could pull off that role easily, it was Trevor.

You ever just have a moment where your whole day is saved? Well, Debbie Mason just saved ours! We’re basking in the glow of this incredibly fun Q&A, and now you can too! Don’t miss our interview or her latest book, Starlight Bridge, out now!

FAVORITE MOVIES:

What are your five favorite movies with romance or romantic elements?

Love Actually, The Notebook, Sleepless in Seattle, Gone with the Wind, and Serendipity.

Describe your favorite scene from each one (you can include a Youtube clip if you want as well).

My #1 Tip for Potential Navy SEALs is understand the nature of your desire. If being a Navy SEAL isn’t the #1 choice for how you want to pursue your life then choose something else. But, if you want to eat, breathe, sleep, fight, and bleed, and you are committed to the training above and beyond all things then this desire will give you a fighting chance.

My #1 Tip for Potential SEAL Wives or Girlfriends is follow your dream. Plan your life goals to be independent of your mate or boyfriend and allow yourself to achieve your greatest dream through your own sweat and dedication. It will benefit you in several ways: 1) you have something to fill your time with what you enjoy and are dedicated to doing, and that sense of achievement can never be taken away; 2) it takes the pressure off your relationship; and 3) having an independent source of income is always useful. In all ways, ‘living the best of yourself’ helps you stay happy and encourages you to continue to grow and succeed.

Excerpt:

As he turned the corner, he smacked right into her as if he had conjured her, sending her heading for the floor. He wasn’t a small guy. At six feet and 160 pounds, he was all muscle and could have been a decent wide receiver for any NFL team, even in his early forties. He ran every day, worked out, and had serious stamina for whatever task was at hand.

His hand caught hers, and with one tug he had her safely in his arms. He cradled her against him. He murmured in her ear, “Sorry about that.” His first instinct was to be polite and distant, but this contact brought a wave of protectiveness with it that made him even more uncomfortable. He needed to keep his perspective. “I always seem to be apologizing to you.”

“Must be something about me,” she murmured against his chest. Her body changed from pliant to stiff almost instantly. They were locked together for several seconds.

In my newest release Wolf Unleashed (SWAT Series), we get to see how Lacey Barton, veterinarian by occupation, heroine by nature, becomes The One true love for Dallas Police Department SWAT Officer—and werewolf—Alex Trevino. Their story will make you laugh, cry, sigh, and completely fall in love with them.

Now that Lacey and Alex are together, and she’s officially part of The Pack, here are ten things on their holiday to-do list!

This will be Lacey and Alex’s first Christmas together, so they’ll spend the morning lazing around the apartment treating themselves to breakfast in bed, then exchange gifts.

Later, they’ll head over to spend the day with the extended Pack family at the SWAT compound, along with their two dogs, Tuffie and Leo, for Christmas dinner. That means lots of food on the grill with some smokers and deep-fryers to boot. Werewolves eat a lot, so there are going to be enough turkey, burgers, hot dogs, and barbecue to feed an army.

A party at the SWAT compound wouldn’t be a party without playing some volleyball. Alex and the other guys are going to need some exercise to burn off all those extra calories, right? Since it’s Christmas, it’s probably going to be cold outside, but something tells me the SWAT hunks will be taking their shirts off anyway.

After the game, they’ll head inside to exchange presents with family and friends, which now includes the entire extended SWAT family. Because there are so many people, the gifts are typically small, but meaningful.

While Lacey isn’t off from work and the veterinary clinic is closed for the holiday, after the party, she and Alex stop by to check on the animals to make sure they’re all doing okay.

Can you smell it in the air? It’s that beautiful Tuesday smell of new books! What makes this Tuesday special, though? Freya Barker has a new book out and we’re foaming-at-the-mouth excited! The brilliant close to the Portland ME series, Still Air is finally out!

Deprival haunted her…

Regret troubled her…

Silence left her detached…

A life in the service of others is both penance and a blessing. She soothes her personal hell by pulling victims from theirs, helping them on their path to survival; never finding her own. When a crippling blow finally evaporates her last hope, the temptation to give up is strong. Still, she can’t find it in her to turn her back on those who need her: the innocent, whose rescue is her perpetual goal.

He was blind, but now he sees how his family has sifted through his fingers. The reality hits hard when his son becomes a stranger, slipping deeper into transgression. Concern has him call on the one person he fears will see his own failures all too clearly. A woman he’s kept his distance from for his own protection.

What appeared to be an incompatible pairing, turns out the unyielding bond needed to heal them all.

Author of the popular Cedar Tree series, as well as the critically acclaimed standalone From Dust, Freya Barker is driven to make her stories about ‘real’ people; with characters who are perhaps less than perfect, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills, and some hot, sizzling sex in their lives.

Recipient of the RomCon Reader’s Choice Award for best first book, Slim To None, Freya has hit the ground running. She loves nothing more than to meet and mingle with her readers, whether it be online or in person at one of the signings she attends.

With her kids grown and out in the world, Freya has poured her creative energy into spinning story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!